Aitor Karanka says Gaston Ramirez is fully committed to the Boro cause despite making it clear he wanted to leave the club in the January window.

Ramirez submitted a transfer request as he tried to force through a move to champions Leicester, who had a bid for the Uruguayan rejected.

Karanka was insistent Ramirez wouldn't be leaving Boro and the head coach says the 26-year-old can now play a key role in the remaining months of the season.

But he won't have a role to play on Saturday, with Karanka revealing Ramirez still hasn't fully recovered from the knee injury which has kept him out in recent weeks.

In Monday's press conference, the Boro boss said he believed Ramirez was fit to play against West Brom after training with the squad for successive days but Karanka had been told by the club's medical staff the playmaker still wasn't ready for a first team return.

Karanka says Ramirez has now suffered a slight setback and hasn't trained with the squad since Tuesday but is hopeful the former Southampton and Hull man will be fit to return early next week.